Rachel stirred awake to the scent of old books and polished wood—unfamiliar yet comforting. Instead of the cramped medical room where she’d last been with her brother, she found herself in a spacious chamber with towering bookshelves lining every wall.

  This…isn’t my Soul Sanctum. This smell… Flowers? Spring? Eostre.

  Warm amber light filtered through partially closed blinds, casting elongated shadows across the hardwood floor. Feeling the weight increasing against her chest, she fought past it as heat rose up to her nose.

  “Nam?” she reflexively called, her voice cracked with exhaustion.

  A slight movement drew her attention to a bed across the room. There lay her brother, his skin still charred black as if burned to the core, veins glowing with molten fire beneath the damaged surface. But…he was awake, glowing eyes like the sun, yet somehow looking contemplative as they landed on her.

  “Rach, what did you do now? You look like hell,” he said quietly, a ghost of his usual dry humor in his voice as his mouth twitched in a sad smile. “I should ask how the other guy looks?”

  Rachel attempted to stand, only for her muscles to protest violently—she was sitting inside of a large, comforting arm chair. Every part of her felt leaden, the culmination of pushing far beyond any reasonable limit finally catching up to her.

  Puffing out a long breath, or whatever constituted air wherever they were, higher dimension, the tulpa’s realm, or her brother’s Soul Sanctum didn’t matter much.

  Adding a small smile herself, she ran her fingers through her hair, draped over her shoulder; Nia and Nike seemed to still be dormant within her. She doubted this meeting would last long, but it was more than welcome.

  Thanks, Eostre.

  “Look who’s talking,” she managed, gesturing vaguely at his glowing veins and charred form. “I can’t tell if you’re literally on fire beneath there or if you’re just burnt toast. You okay? Maria said you were doing better.”

  “Yup…that’s my little sister. Worrying about everything else but herself,” he sighed, body shaking with weak laughter. “No, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” he assured, shifting slightly to get a better look at his arm. “Not physically, at least… Can we discuss you now?”

  Before Rachel could respond, autumn leaves and spring petals materialized in a swirling vortex between them. The air shimmered with what [Seventh Sense] now understood as dimensional energy as Eostre stepped through, her copper-colored hair catching nonexistent light. The tulpa goddess’ expression was unusually somber, the characteristic nervousness in her movements more pronounced than usual.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Rachel, Nam,” she greeted, her voice carrying that familiar mixture of authority and hesitation. “I see you’ve finally recovered enough to be momentarily jolted awake. And Nam—she is not doing well, no matter her protests. She should rest soon.”

  Nam nodded as Rachel snorted and rolled her eyes.

  “I bet she would protest.”

  “No, I’m not that prideful…but it isn’t like this is the worst I’ve been.”

  “And there’s that pride,” Nam returned with his own snort. “That’s not a win, Sis.”

  “Speak for yourself. I’m still standing, kind of.”

  “Haaa…” Eostre sighed her characteristic exhale, fingers twisting against each other as she paced catching both their attention. “Moving on, you both do have questions, I imagine. I’ve only recently learned more myself after discussing the outcome with Athena before she was forced to enter her own restorative slumber… I can’t believe what you did.”

  Rachel’s ears twitched forward, instinctively tracking Eostre’s movements. “Oh? Athena’s out cold, like Nike and everyone else, huh? Does that include Lord Hades, Lady Persephone, and our favorite tragic Japanese goddess of Yomi?”

  Nam sat back with a groan. “That pride of yours, Rachel…”

  “What?! Hey, I’m still awake. Last one standing,” she grinned, holding up a fist with a weak grin. “Gotta take my wins where I can.”

  “Yes, well, technically, you were asleep long before them if we’re speaking about dimensional-time variants, but that’s beside the point,” Eostre replied with a smile that touched her amber eyes this time.

  “Way to kill my vibe…”

  She settled into a chair that appeared beneath her, regaining a more regal appearance. “That being said, yes, Rachel, she and several others who aided you from the shadows are recovering. What you accomplished in the Ali Baba realm…was nothing short of impossible. It required significant divine intervention to prevent catastrophic dimensional collapse, from other factions, even, and something…beyond the 7th Wall that drew the cut together and sewed it together.”

  Rachel felt a chill run through her. “It must have been… No, I shouldn’t name her aloud,” she mumbled, recalling the eyes that held eternity in them—Jaenona. “Maybe it was the Flower of Light, as well, once she awoke, but that is a scary thought.”

  “You’re telling me,” Nam mumbled, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Something’s out there beyond these gods’ view, huh? Eostre filled me in a bit earlier. It’s still insane to think that you’re working with multiple godly figures… Before we continue with how you…apparently broke the universe because someone tried to assassinate me, Sis, can you tell me how Alexa is doing?”

  At the mention of her sister-in-law, Rachel sat back, suppressing the shiver while contemplating everything she’d experienced. The gravity of what she’d done was something she could hardly make sense of without the Black Moon—breaking past the 7th Wall.

  “I didn’t plan on breaking the universe, but I didn’t really have a choice the higher I climbed,” she said defensively, still trying to make sense of certain blurred memories she’d retained, mainly of Misfortune and Black Hat. “As for Alexa, she’s scared. She’s been with you the whole time… You saved them, Nam. I…should have seen something like this coming—”

  “Cut that shit out,” Nam snapped, vision hardening. “I’m a big boy, Rachel. You’re not perfect and everything isn’t on your shoulders. Yes, a lot of stuff is, but shit happens. I bet you figured out who did it in the end, because I know you and you’re obsessive. That isn’t always a good thing, Sis, so don’t think I’m a burden—that everyone is—because that is what you’re really saying. Don’t be blinded by your ego. Alexa isn’t a burden.”

  “Nam…”

  “No, you don’t understand where anyone else comes from, Rachel,” he stated, struggling up to sit against the headboard. “You take on responsibility. You love responsibility, Rachel, expectations and challenges drive you. I love that about you, but until just recently, you’ve been the most self-absorbed asshole in history. I swear.”

  Rachel’s tail twitched, ears drawing back a little. “Damn…well tell me how you really feel… Not that you’re wrong. It still hurts, though, Nam. Nam?!”

  His veins flared for a moment, live flames igniting momentarily in his eyes, making him wince. He shook his head and held up a hand.

  “I’m not fine but that’s okay.” He breathed out literal fire in a slow stream before leaning against the bed’s back. “I’ve held my tongue because Alexa didn’t want me to say anything…because she admires you, Rachel. She’s intimidated and looks up to you…the good part of you that has been, admittedly, making a massive comeback. I see it, Rachel. I see you changing for the better but that doesn’t mean you still don’t have faults.”

  [Lunar Pride] fought her as Rachel’s fingers curled into her thighs, an uncomfortable pressure she often shied away from without even noticing. Resisting it, she fed into the fire, nose twisting and swallowing the lump in her throat as Misfortune’s face—her own smirking face—ignited in her vision.

  This confrontation was long overdue, now that she was looking back.

  Crossing her arms, she felt cold, unable to escape her brother’s intense gaze with her wide field of focused vision. How long had it been since she felt uncomfortable to look someone in the eye? She didn’t know, even with [Strategic Mind].

  “She told you not to fight her battles, huh? Hah. Sounds like something…I’d do. Mmm. I…sort of figured out she might have felt that way about me—feared me, admired me,” Rachel cleared her throat, goosebumps running up her arms. “We’ve talked…a little about it. But she is your wife, Nam, and it was wrong of me to treat her… I may have some discrimination problems. Umm…maybe I’m a little racist, too,” she added with a forced laugh, scratching her neck.

  “Scarlet’s noticed my disdain for the Japanese, but can you blame me with the history we’re taught between our nations—yes, I consider myself more South Korean than American or anything else,” she stated with difficulty. “I just feel…connected to it more. I can’t explain why.

  “And…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a certain way about caucasian women at times, but usually the Karens…that pull out the stereotype. I really don’t know Alexa that well…other than her vegan shit, which…yeah. Anyway, I’m sorry about that.”

  Nam’s posture became less combative, weariness setting in again. “There’s so much to her, Rachel. She’s not some hot blonde American robot couch bimbo. Though beautiful, she certainly is.”

  “No, I know. I know that now,” Rachel muttered.

  “And I know where all of these pent-up emotions stem from, Rach… It was hard on me, too…but I wasn’t there with you and Mom during the car crash. I didn’t have to see her…in that way. I get that you had to bottle things up… Mom had to deal with it in her own way. You don’t think she’s weak, do you?”

  A knife buried into her chest and a tear escaped her widening eyes, sliding down her cheek. Misfortune’s revelations burned her soul. “Nam…can we not go there? Not yet,” she asked as a quake ran through her, furrowing her brother’s brow. “Please…”

  “Okay?”

  “Look,” she rubbed the tear away and puffed out the heat rising up her chest. “It’s just… I’ve generally felt unbreakable, invincible… For years now. I had to make myself strong—to be the strongest I could. I put everything into embracing this…image I felt I had to live up to. I projected it on Mom and Dad, but…I don’t even know who gave it to me… Probably me.”

  She swallowed, locking her fingers at her front and pulling her ears to the side as Eostre maintained a melancholy, empathetic expression that cut at her pride. She’d just literally kicked the very aspect of Fate in the face, broke past walls to tread places the gods couldn’t walk, yet here she was, free falling in a conversation with her big brother.

  “I know I have deep-seeded anger problems, Nam. I’ve lived in a way that rejected all fear to drive for the future. To take destiny into my own hands and fight against the world…which I now know was out to get me… I have been fighting against colossal forces. In the chaos I see bliss, and in mayhem, I see a welcoming abyss. I push into the darkness, Nam. I feel…driven to.

  “But…but I’ve also found out that I…do have my own fears, and…that’s scary, Nam. I am scared of some things—of someone… Terrified.”

  She fought back tears as she looked up at her big brother, the image of her broken, loving, and amazing mother coming into her thoughts. He pushed himself out of the bed and she couldn’t tell him not to as he somehow found strength he didn’t have to walk over and pull her up into an embrace.

  “I don’t know what to do about them because…I can’t face them right now,” she admitted, feeling the blade cutting open her heart as his body radiated heat—not painful, but soothing. “I don’t know what to do…and I can’t tell you. I can’t. You’re the only one I can talk to…but I can’t even tell you. I’m…pathetic.”

  “No. You’re human. You’re powerful. You are unbreakable, Rachel.” His arms held her with a firmness she’d forgotten. “Despite all your flaws, I don’t know anyone stronger than my little sister… You work with goddesses—you rescued a goddess and protected her inside of you! You outmaneuvered a god and saved Eostre!”

  Not correcting him on the definitional differences between goddess’, tulpas, personifications, and lesser gods, Rachel just forced a laugh. It felt like she was melting into her brother’s all-encompassing arms. Like they were children again, when she’d stub her toe and cry, because…she used to be that girl with a lot of misfortune as a child. Now she knew why.

  “I…suppose I did, but this really has me torn up inside.”

  He was quiet for a moment, his grip tightening around her. “…Is this the kind of problem you’re looking for a resolution on, or…”

  “Please! Because…I can’t face this right now. And how can I expect you to have answers when, hah, I can’t even tell you?!”

  “Hmm… You know,” he whispered, sagging a little and forcing her to help him back to the bed, “for how you see me… It’s all just for show. I get up in the morning for her—because of Alexa. You have no idea how depressed and lost I was before she became a light that gives me purpose… Dad’s company wasn’t in a good spot, and we were having trouble. A lot of trouble. Dad couldn’t tell Mom, and the pressure was getting so bad two years ago. Then…Alexa’s father came into the picture…bringing her into mine.”

  Rachel’s shoulders slumped onto the bed with him, sinking further into it and reflecting on his reply. Eostre just sat still and listened, glancing between them. In reality, she’d probably foresaw this conversation coming up. Nam was one of the few people who could talk to her like this without her walls coming up.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “I…had no idea. I guess I was really self-absorbed, and everything is fine now, though, right?”

  “Because of her,” Nam said, falling back onto the bed and looking up at the swirling, spring-like ceiling, dotted with real flowers into a mural of colors that carried their scent down to them. “There were times when I couldn’t see a way out. Times when I didn’t know if I wanted to see tomorrow. But…because Alexa was there to support me when I broke down, when I needed support… When I couldn’t go to anyone else…

  “My wife was there to hold me. She was there to give me life when life had sucked it out of me… She got me through it. Only that self-conscious, magical girl-loving blonde woman could save me.”

  Rachel bit her bottom lip, more emotions welling up within her. “I had no idea… I really didn’t. I’m sorry, Nam. I’m the kind of girl that…would reject help until the end. My pride is really my downfall.”

  “Pfft. Not where I’m sitting.” Nam sat up and gave her a tired smile, flakes of charcoal flaking off to show pure, energy-like fire underneath. “Rachel, you were the most proud person I’ve ever known, but that’s changed… I think getting friends did that. Scarlet, Maria, everyone else, you’ve found something bigger than yourself. Sure, it may be a small seed now, but you’re feeding it. And even a tiny seed can break rock if fed long enough.”

  A small smile lifted Rachel’s teary cheeks. “One of Grandpa’s metaphors? I should stop in and see him when I can next… Something big is coming… Something I caused.”

  “Okay.”

  Nam held out a hand on his lap, too tired to lift it.

  “Okay?”

  Rachel slid her fingers into his, confusing furrowing her brow and legs feeling like jelly.

  He squeezed and said, “Want an answer to your question that you’ll understand with your battle brain-rotted mind?”

  “Go on?”

  “If you can’t face it right now…then do a strategic retreat.”

  The words lit like fireworks inside her chest.

  “Strategic retreat?” It was so simple. It was so easy. How hadn’t she thought about it? Because…it was running away? Because it meant she wasn’t strong enough to face it? That was stupid. She was stupid. “You’re right. I’ve had to redirect my efforts in other ways to win my battles against deities and Countess’ of Hell. I just need to change my approach. Huh.”

  “Countess’ of Hell? What? Are you talking about the triplets?”

  “I think that is a good place to put a button on this. And you didn’t have a choice in what you did, Rachel,” Eostre intervened, her eyes momentarily revealing glimpses of cosmic spaces beyond her smile. “Athena told me about the Second Oscillation that she helped to facilitate with a few other Olympian deities in the background. They are already being drawn in by the Red Sea’s tide, to circle around this planet… Around Scarlet, is what we are coming to understand.”

  Nam shifted on his bed, the fire beneath his skin pulsing brighter. “Alright, I’m feeling ten pounds lighter now, but a Second Oscillation, Rachel? Could someone explain what actually happened? One minute I was watching our house explode and we’re talking about something incredibly dense within me sucking in all the Seed’s power. Then we’re having a heart to heart as brother and sister, and the next thing we’re talking about is a Second Oscillation,” he added, looking at Eostre.

  The goddess hugged herself, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I apologize for the interruption but you both are running low on time before requiring more rest. You passed beyond the third-dimensional barrier, Nam—where we are. In that moment between life and death, you shattered your Lesser Seed.”

  “I know a little about that, but what is that again?” Nam's brow furrowed, causing the lines of fire across his face to shift. “Did we get a better explanation about them through this dimension hopping, Rach?”

  “The Seeds,” Rachel explained tiredly, “as you know were drawn into us during the first Oscillation. Lesser Seeds for most people, Greater Seeds for those like me, Scarlet. There are a lot of other things involved, but we believe the Lesser Seeds are tied to the Eldritch after what we found out was inside the Fablekin Seeds…” She trailed off, letting Eostre continue to fill in the blanks.

  “Oh, great,” Nam mumbled. “I don’t know what Eldritch means. But I’ll just assume it’s bad. I have a Lesser Seed in me, so…that’s not good? Go on.”

  “Indeed… Quite bad, but also not definitive, Rachel. It could be possible that some special case involving the creation of the Fablekin infects them with the Eldritch taint. After all, we also saw the Eldritch inside Elizabeth’s Greater Seed as a Legendkin.”

  “That’s true,” she relented, rubbing between her eyes. “I guess I’m not thinking clearly. It does open up more doors to be questioned, though. There are levels to it, and we’ve only just peeled back the 7th Wall… There are probably more beyond that but we should stick on the topic of my brother for now.”

  “We can shelve this topic for now. What makes your case unique, Nam,” Eostre carefully said, turning to him, “is that unlike Fable Seeds, such as the one Rachel was just inside, when your Lesser Seed shattered…something else awakened. Something not Eldritch. Something more potent than that Eldritch being called Black Hat. I’ve never seen something like this before… No one I’ve talked to in the higher realms has. Rachel…I don’t believe you want me to go further?”

  Rachel’s fingers tightened around his. If we continue talking about this, then it will lead back to Mom. I can’t have Nam digging into it. Something about Mom, about her side of the family is off… Very off. And she asked us not to dig into it. She practically ordered me not to… Pleaded with me not to.

  Her ears perked up. “Not yet. I still need to do a lot more investigation and it’s not very important right now, other than making sure you’re okay. Eostre?”

  Eostre nodded slowly. “Yes, though I don’t fully understand its nature or origin. What I do know is that he contains divinity that shouldn’t be possible in a mortal vessel. In some ways, it might tell us more about what lies deeper within you, Rachel.”

  Yes, but let’s not go there, Eostre!

  She turned to Nam, her expression softening but he responded first.

  “No, that’s great. I’m glad to be of help if it’s something that will help you, Rachel. See, you’re not alone.”

  The response felt like a punch to the gut, causing her jaw to slacken a moment and locking her brain. “…Nam… Sure. I’ll let you know. But before any of that, Eostre, does it have to do with the Ever-Shifting Mists or the Crimson Tide?”

  Eostre glanced over her shoulder nervously—that characteristic gesture Rachel felt, as well, discussing just the collective names of the Eldritch factions. Her brother’s face was utterly blank, not following at all. She was fine with that.

  “I can’t say with certainty… I’m still working out Lady Cerridwen’s plan. She disappeared during your fight with Seed Scarlet, and no one seems to know what happened to her. But…there are rumors from some of the Personifications that say the Scarlet Hand knows something about it.”

  “Other Personifications?” Rachel repeated. “Nike’s siblings or relatives… Well, not after the merger, but those are generally who you’re referring to?”

  “I am, and they are becoming a vast and powerful faction in their own right, despite only being on the 5th-dimensional level. They are…troublesome to deal with.”

  Rachel’s face dulled, a certain fake baobhan sith succubus and Mystic of Hecate coming to mind. “Yeah, I have my own version of troublesome people.”

  She stared at the rows of books lining the walls, their spines offering a strange comfort in their orderly arrangement ,reflecting on anything. “That’s a topic I wouldn’t mind pivoting toward. I used to wonder how someone could want to live in lies rather than confront the truth,” she mused quietly. “That was cope. But now I really don’t know how to move forward, so it’s a strategic retreat. Thanks, Nam,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers between hers and offering a stronger smile. “That helped. A lot.”

  “Any time.”

  Concern etching her features as she looked up at her brother’s flaking away face, hyper condensed energy swirling beneath his flaking skin. “But what about Nam, Eostre? What happens now that he’s stabilized?”

  Eostre’s form shimmered slightly as she considered her response, flowers blooming in her hair. She took one down to examine, as if looking for answers in it.

  “So far as I can tell, he’ll recover, though there will be changes. The divinity within him has been awakened, which means transformation is inevitable. Perhaps even more profound than a Seed. In fact, Alexa’s Seed may have been influenced by your brother in some way, which created her unique circumstances.”

  Nam winced at the mention of his wife. “So…I might have been the reason she now looks thirteen? Yikes, wait ‘till she hears that.”

  “What?” Rachel playfully nudged him. “Don’t tell her something we can’t confirm, Nam. She’s worried sick about you and only wants to know that you’re going to be okay,” Rachel replied. “Still, she’s handling it surprisingly well. Her angelic form seems to give her some insight into what’s happening to you from…some divine network she can tap into. You’ll have to discuss it with her.

  “And speaking of divine entities,” she continued, turning to Eostre, “how are things with Chang’e and the Lunar Court? Any progress since everyone’s so terrified about what’s coming through the Crystal?”

  Eostre’s expression flickered with uncertainty. “Lady Chang’e has, mmm, withdrawn most of her Court to the highest lunar planes for protection. Something has happened that has her…frightened, Rachel. It isn’t just the Spirit of Conquest that resides within the Crystal. It is something even the oldest gods fear to name. All I could get from the Seers was a very powerful purple-haired young woman that made rattling noises, like chains on the other side, tempting them to enter… I did get a name from Lady Izanami, though.”

  “Mhm?”

  The tulpa stood and took a few steps away, smoothing out her dress and selecting a book off a shelf. She hesitated before pulling it out. She handed it to her, and Rachel took it, reading the title that the tulpa no doubt translated for her.

  “Hymn to Nungal? Is that—”

  Rattling of chains echoed around them, moving as if tied to the very fabric of the universe, and she heard a voice within them.

  “It is foolish to mention names of beings at my level while thinking about them… At least, without offering a prayer and gift. I do love mortal treats, and your little soul partner has quite the taste in fabrics… I look forward to when we can meet face to face… Soon. Very soon. I am so looking forward to it!”

  Something colossal moved misfortune, those very words acting not as tiny threads around her…but a binding vice stronger than any she’d felt other than Fate herself. They were delicate and precise as an expert weaver, something akin to how she felt against Fate. In that merest moment, it coiled around her like a snake—a snake of impossible size.

  Then, she left. A giggle passing with the sounds of clicking chains. “Thank you, for dealing with that rather annoying little string of Fate’s. I’ll have to repay you for that! What a delight you are. Until then, Karma. And a warning… Try not to excite Butter too much. It could end badly for you.”

  She paused as the voice passed.

  How…did she? She has influence over our world beyond the Crystal? She’s that powerful? Eostre didn’t even react. This woman…has to be beyond the 7th Wall. So…how can she bypass it to this extent?

  “Rachel?” Nam asked. “You’re shaking?”

  “Huh? Oh, umm. No, I…” Reflecting on the sensation she’d hardly felt yet also was so binding that she felt like shackles had been placed around her wrist, she let the sensation quiver out of her tail and ears before shaking it off. “Who is she, Eostre?”

  The woman’s lips became a line and she folded her arms defensively. “That’s the thing, Rachel… There already is a Nungal here within the Sumarian pantheon. It doesn’t make sense. We’ve met, and she is even more shaken than we are.

  “This goes…beyond anything we’ve considered… We gods operate on a multiversal level—all of our variants did, as well as those who we fought and merged with. Yet, what if…we’re not the original deities? What if there is a Primal Deity for each of us? Those questions are rolling around the higher pantheons.”

  Rachel didn’t know how to process that at the moment. She had to nibble on that a bit more. It added a new layer of danger beyond the 7th Wall, and who Scarlet may have tried to keep out. Fate may have been the one manipulating things behind the scenes for her own ends, but she may have been the dam keeping much scarier things in the shadows.

  “We’ll…touch on that later.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Is Chang’e still planning on bringing her moon?”

  “She is… Her Lunar Secretary, Lady Mei, is coordinating with my followers to establish stronger dimensional barriers. Lady Chang’e may reach out, is what I am saying,” Eostre continued, her voice dropping. “But the cultural tensions remain…difficult between my lovely buns and hers. The Lunar Lady herself sends her regards and thanks for your efforts in balancing the lunar energies…which you have no idea you did by the look on your face.”

  Nam’s glowing veins pulsed with sudden intensity. “Rachel, enough about cosmic politics,” he firmly intervened, his tone reminiscent of their father’s. “Have you looked at yourself lately? You’re falling apart.”

  Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but Nam continued.

  “I know that expression. You’re already planning your next move before you’ve recovered from the last one. When was the last time you actually rested—since you were forced to in Washington D.C.? And not passed out from exhaustion—actually rested?”

  Rachel’s ears flattened against her head. “Hey, I rested…a bit after Elizabeth’s masquerade. I just don’t have that luxury as it stands,: she muttered. “Not with what’s coming… Especially after what I just heard. I don’t even have any of my Unique Moons anymore. I used everything to break Fate’s string.”

  “And you’ll figure it out. You always do,” he countered. “You won’t be able to face what’s coming if you burn out first. For someone so tactical, you’re being incredibly short-sighted about your own limitations.”

  Eostre actually nodded in agreement with him, making her shoot the tulpe a glare. “He’s right, Rachel. Even the most powerful deities required recovery after the kind of dimensional tearing you participated in. Yes, you slept long enough for me to pull you out for this, but that is quickly coming to an end… As you said, what you heard took a toll you can’t feel yet due to soul-shock.”

  Rachel let out a long, tired sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Fine… I have so many people relying on me, though. Literally the world itself and beyond—the scale is so massive, I can’t even express it right now. I don’t have the energy…which is your point.” Her voice broke slightly. “But I have to do it. Not for the world. You know that’s not me, Nam. I have to…for the family, and my new friends.”

  Something shifted in Eostre’s expression—a rare flash of genuine emotion breaking through her usually diplomatic facade. “That,” she said softly, “is why you caught Lady Cerridwen’s eye.”

  Rachel snorted. “Yeah, I think it has more to do with other things the Ever-Shifting Mists whispered into her ears, but…you’re also not wrong, I think. Maybe that’s just ego.”

  Eostre’s fingers rose to fidget with the small flower necklace she wore. “Gods choose champions for many reasons—power, ambition, divine bloodlines. Lady Cerridwen chose you because despite all your power, despite your connection to cosmic forces beyond mortal comprehension—beyond our divine comprehension, it seems—your motivation remains…beautifully human.”

  Nam’s expression softened as he looked at his sister. “She’s right, you know. That’s always been your strength, even before The Oscillation. One thing you always stood up for was the family… Just add my wife into that now.”

  Rachel felt something tighten in her chest—an emotion she no longer had the energy to examine. “I can do that. She’s sort of a part of Omen now…and I did that for myself, in a way. This way, I can get to know her.”

  “That’s really sweet, Sis,” Nam whispered, squeezing her hand again. “Just don’t kill my wife.”

  “Haha. Doing my best is all I can offer. I mean, I still need to figure out what’s happening with the Crystal, prepare for whatever’s coming through it… Someone named ‘Butter,’ I, think? Weird name. It probably has a story. Then I also need to deal with the USSR now that they have Tom’s information. Yseress and Izanami’s challenge. Ireland. And Aurora… Yeah, I need to investigate Aurora’s real identity—”

  “Which you can do after you’ve actually rested,” Nam firmly interrupted. “The world won’t end in the next eight hours since, well, you’ve already saved it!”

  Rachel wanted to argue, but the exhaustion was overwhelming. Her eyes felt heavy, her thoughts growing sluggish. “Fine,” she conceded. “I delegated Grace to filling in everyone already. So…I should only need to do follow up questions. But I’ll only for a little while… The Crystal is opening soon, and I’ll be damned if I miss it! If you wake before me, tell them to haul my sleeping body through it if that’s what it takes!”

  Nam gave her a fiery, squinty-eyed stare as a response.

  “Worry not. I’ll watch over both of you,” Eostre promised, spring energy pulsing gently around her. “You will awaken when the Crystal opens. Sleep.”

  As Rachel settled back beside her brother, she allowed her consciousness to drift toward sleep, and she heard Eostre whisper something to Nam.

  “Your sister carries the weight of worlds on her shoulders. The least we can do is ensure she doesn’t carry it alone. There is more to this puzzle than all of us feared… Many of us do want to hide from the truth… Hide from our own unimportance within the grand scheme of things.”

  Rachel’s last thought before darkness claimed her was a mix of gratitude and concern—for her brother's condition, for what her mother had been hiding, and for what awaited them when the Crystal finally opened. But perhaps most concerning of all, what Nungal’s true intentions were in this upcoming conflict.

  Then, finally, she surrendered to true rest.

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